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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

I met Michele Parrish just one year ago at a scrapbooking convention and immediately realized what an amazing women she is - open, caring, generous, beautiful and very, very strong. She is quick to share her life experiences and the lessons she has learned. I read the wonderful article about her in the Spring 2013 edition of Scrapbooking & Beyond and was inspired to create this canvas:

Happy Birthday Michele!

Thank you for helping me shine!

There are several Crafty Divas who have created very special projects to wish Michele a Happy Birthday!

I painted the canvas and let it dry. I created a decorative oval frame using Spellbinders dies - Floral Ovals and Ovals. I cut 2 of these out of cardstock and layered them onto the canvas then covered it all with Mod Podge and white tissue gift wrapping paper. After that dried, I dry brushed gesso over the frame.

Next I used the Bricks Stencil from Want2Scrap and added some dimension with modeling paste. To soften the bricks I added another layer of Mod Podge and tissue paper. I found a beautifully printed dinner napkin and separated the three layers. I used the sheer top layer and applied it to the canvas with Mod Podge, overlapping the die cut frame and the bricks.

I printed some strip journaling on the computer, then inked the edges. Michele is the Queen of Bling, hence the crown...and we are celebrating her birthday so I gave her a candle. Of course...I had to enhance them with bling!

I added "Michele" to the canvas, using a photo I had taken at a convention. For some reason I always think of Michele in a beautiful white chiffon
blouse I saw her wear, so I tried to re-create it. The buttons are
actually Sleek Strips Pearls bling in white pearl.

Happy Birthday Michele.
I hope today is as special as you are.
Hugs! Susie

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Want2Scrap and Quick Quotes have teamed up this week! Quick Quotes provided some terrific paper lines and Want2Scrap provided mini-albums, bling and chipboard.For my project I created a beach themed album using the Be Bold paper line.

The base is a mixed media album from Want2Scrap featuring pages made from canvas, cork, chipboard and more.

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These cute sunglasses are Want2Scrap chipboard from Retro Glasses designed by Joe Rotello. The bling is also from Want2Scrap.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

I was visiting my cousin Mary to do some communal scrapbooking when we decided to take a little road trip. She had found a stamping and scrapbook store about an hour away and had not been able to spend anytime exploring it yet. So we jumped in the car and headed off to find The Enchanted Cottage in Lewisville, North Carolina. Wow! Definitely worth the trip! This is what greets you when you walk in...the place is huge!

These lovely ladies were quick to point out the sale sign on the door. Everything in the store (with a few exceptions) is 25% through the month of July!! How lucky was that?!?

Brand new product is available with a 10% discount and the older stuff...which had an entire room to itself...is going for 50% off! I overheard some ladies that said they drove all the way down from Richmond, VA to take advantage of this terrific sale. The place was hopping!

You know I am a huge Spellbinders fan and I am happy to say they have quite a nice selection.

They also carry Memory Box and Sizzix dies...

...and those are new BoBunny paper collections in the front of the photo. I also saw Graphic 45, Creative Imaginations, Basic Grey, Kaisercraft and more.

The store has a nice mixed media area - Ranger and Viva products, Twinkling H2Os, Crafters Workshop - and I picked up some of the new Julie Nutting stamps and a Dyan Reaveley quote set that made me giggle.

The stamp inventory is fabulous and huge. There are beautiful samples all over the store to inspire. Something for everyone!

I wandered into The Bargain Store area where the discount was 50% - stickers, dies, stencils, stamps, papers, and tools. I picked up some stickers, rub ons and a rubber stamp.

There are some great deals to be had. I wish I had taken more pictures to share but my camera battery was dying!

If you are in the area, Mary and I highly recommend a visit to The Enchanted Cottage. Remember, their sale runs through the end of July!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

I hope it is not too late to share one more patriotic project! The photo on this layout is from one of my favorite 4th of July celebrations ever.

We live in the Washington, DC area and in 1995 we took the family down to the 1st Annual Freedom Fest at Ft. Belvoir. It was small town fun at its best! I used to sew back in the day and I whipped up these matching outfits for my son and I. I thought it would be fun to carry that sewing memory into the layout so I used some Spellbinders dies to create a "quilted" photo mat.

I used the Pride Collection from Authentique on this layout, especially all the wonderful coordinating embellishments! This triple banner is from the Details Sticker sheet. I inked the edges a bit, popped the center piece up and overlapped the banners.

These little journaling strips actually came from Authentique's Glory Collection:

The title, "My Firecracker", is from the 6"x12" Components sheet. The mini-postcard, which reads Greetings from Washington D.C., is from the 6"x6" bundle - I love that Authentique releases its collections in different sizes!

Now for the grand finale! The wonderful, sparkly swirls you see accenting the title are from the Build Your Own Bling set from Want2Scrap. Oooh! Aaah!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find some time to play today! Susie

Friday, July 5, 2013

It is the first Friday of the month and that means it is Moxxie Blog Hop time! This month we are going to shake things up just a bit! Design Team Member Mary Pat Siehl has created another sketch for you and each Muse will show you their take on the sketch. The Muses will be using all different Moxxie collections. It is going to be so fun to see what collections the Muses are using and to see how each one interprets the sketch.

I stuck pretty closely to Mary Pat's sketch, just changing the dimensions a bit - it seems I like to fill the page!

I added an extra title, "Brothers", because the space seemed a little empty for me. The title is a Fancy Chipboard Word from Want2Scrap and I just darkened it up a bit with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

So have I mentioned the Giveaway? This
month one participant will win ONE ENTIRE COLLECTION of their choosing
from the Moxxie store. Isn't that awesome???? I know! It totally
rocks! So let's get hopping and see what the other Muses have created for you. Simply hop to ALL the blogs and Leave a Comment. Don't forget the final stop- The Moxxie Blog and leave a comment there. Here are the links:

The hop starts today and the winner will be announced Wednesday July 10th, 2013 on the Moxxie blog. International fans are welcome to play along if they agree to pay shipping in the event they win. Good luck!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Many of my family members have served in various branches of the U.S. Military. My dad actually served in the Navy in WWII. He volunteered for submarines. He then went on to have a career as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force where he was awarded the Air Force Cross, for distinguishing himself by extraordinary heroism in battle. It is second only to the Medal of Honor. I created this piece as a tribute to my him and my mom - because only really exceptional women can be military wives!

Below are close ups of some of the individual sections of the tray.
I used Spellbinders new Media Mixage line to create the bezels you see in the piece. I simply used the dies to cut some pictures of my mom and dad, sealed them with Mod Podge, then added Ice Resin. The small pearls you see on the top of each bezel are from Want2Scrap.

My mom really was an All American girl! This photo is actually from their honeymoon in Virginia Beach. The word stickers are from the Pride line from Authentique. The gold key is actually made from Want2Scrap chipboard. Amazing what a little heat embossing can do, don't you think?! .

The image in this final bezel was cut from the 6"x6" paper pad. I love that Authentique releases it's collections in so many different sizes! If you were wondering where I got the cool red stones at the bottom of the bezel...well, let's just say I no longer have fish for the fish tank and those little rocks were just sitting around!

This is a photo of Mamo. She was my paternal grandmother and was a Red Cross Volunteer during the war.

Daddy served on the USS Trutta. He enlisted at 17years old. I had this little compass in my stash from who knows where and thought it was a perfect little embellishment.

Daddy flew several different planes during his career in the USAF.

His Air Force Cross Citation reads (in part):

The President of the
United States of America...takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Major
Joseph B. Madden (AFSN: 0-23814), United States Air Force, for
extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed
force as a Forward Air Controller and Pilot of an O-1 aircraft... Major Madden flew his unarmed O-1 Birddog
aircraft in support of friendly forces engaged in defense of their
beleaguered fire support base. Despite intense, accurately directed
hostile fire which damaged his aircraft, Major Madden, with undaunted
determination, indomitable courage, and superior professional skill
controlled over one hundred close air support sorties that resulted in
the neutralization of a hostile battalion. Through his extraordinary
heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile
forces, Major Madden reflected the highest credit upon himself and the
United States Air Force.

Enjoy your 4th of July celebration and remember the brave men and women serving our country that make it possible! Susie